TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessment of water quality in roof-harvested rainwater barrels in greater philadelphia
AU - Hamilton, Kerry A.
AU - Parrish, Kerrianne
AU - Ahmed, Warish
AU - Haas, Charles N.
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgments: This work was supported by the Drexel Raising Interest in STEM Education (RISE) Program. RISE@Drexel was a United States Department of Education-funded program in the framework of the Minority Science & Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP) award P120A130035. Drexel was a sub-contractor to Community College of Philadelphia tasked with providing the summer research experience and organizing an annual career panel discussion and faculty-staff roundtable discussion. The authors would like to thank Antonio Kontsos, Daniel Christe, Brian Wisner, and Jay Bhatt, of Drexel University, as well as Renee Medley, Linda Powell, and Alex Gontar of the Community College of Philadelphia. The authors are grateful to residents for providing access to their barrels for water sampling.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland
PY - 2018/1/24
Y1 - 2018/1/24
N2 - A study of water quality parameters was conducted in 38 small-scale roof-harvested rainwater barrels (RHRB) located in urban and peri-urban Philadelphia, USA in winter (November–December) 2014 and summer (June–August 2016). Parameters included two fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) (Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp.) measured using culture-based methods, eight potential enteric and opportunistic pathogens (Campylobacter jejuni, Acanthamoeba spp., Legionella spp., L. pneumophila, Naegleria fowleri, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium intracellulare) measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and two metals (lead and zinc) using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Fecal indicator bacteria were detected in greater than 60% RHRB samples and concentrations (up to >103 per 100 mL) exceeded US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) irrigation water quality standards. Among the enteric and opportunistic pathogens tested, 57.9, 44.7, 21.1, 18.4, 5 and 3% were PCR positive for Legionella spp., M. intracellulare, M. avium, Acanthamoeba spp., P. aeruginosa, and C. jejuni, respectively. N. fowleri and L. pneumophila were not detected in any sample. The concentrations of enteric and opportunistic pathogens ranged from 102 to 107 gene copies/L of barrel water. Lead and zinc were each observed in 88.5% of RHRB but the concentrations did not exceed US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) standards for irrigating produce, with the exception of one zinc observation (2660 µg/L). Based on these data, it appears that the risk associated with metals in RHRB is likely to be low, as these barrels are only used for gardening and non-potable purposes. However, risks due to fecal and opportunistic pathogens may be higher due to exposure to aerosols during gardening activities and produce consumed raw, and should be investigated further.
AB - A study of water quality parameters was conducted in 38 small-scale roof-harvested rainwater barrels (RHRB) located in urban and peri-urban Philadelphia, USA in winter (November–December) 2014 and summer (June–August 2016). Parameters included two fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) (Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp.) measured using culture-based methods, eight potential enteric and opportunistic pathogens (Campylobacter jejuni, Acanthamoeba spp., Legionella spp., L. pneumophila, Naegleria fowleri, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium intracellulare) measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and two metals (lead and zinc) using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Fecal indicator bacteria were detected in greater than 60% RHRB samples and concentrations (up to >103 per 100 mL) exceeded US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) irrigation water quality standards. Among the enteric and opportunistic pathogens tested, 57.9, 44.7, 21.1, 18.4, 5 and 3% were PCR positive for Legionella spp., M. intracellulare, M. avium, Acanthamoeba spp., P. aeruginosa, and C. jejuni, respectively. N. fowleri and L. pneumophila were not detected in any sample. The concentrations of enteric and opportunistic pathogens ranged from 102 to 107 gene copies/L of barrel water. Lead and zinc were each observed in 88.5% of RHRB but the concentrations did not exceed US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) standards for irrigating produce, with the exception of one zinc observation (2660 µg/L). Based on these data, it appears that the risk associated with metals in RHRB is likely to be low, as these barrels are only used for gardening and non-potable purposes. However, risks due to fecal and opportunistic pathogens may be higher due to exposure to aerosols during gardening activities and produce consumed raw, and should be investigated further.
KW - Enteric pathogens
KW - Fecal indicator bactera
KW - Health risks
KW - Opportunistic pathogens
KW - Quantitative PCR
KW - Roof-harvested rain barrel
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U2 - 10.3390/w10020092
DO - 10.3390/w10020092
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85041216716
SN - 2073-4441
VL - 10
JO - Water (Switzerland)
JF - Water (Switzerland)
IS - 2
M1 - 92
ER -